McDonald's sales hit by weakness in Asia, Europe

The world's biggest hamburger chain said on Wednesday that they were down 0.6 percent globally. That included a 0.7 percent increase in the U.S.

"McDonald's is focused on becoming our customers' favourite place and way to eat and drink by leveraging the strength of our menu variety, unsurpassed value and convenience, and by emphasizing outstanding customer service," said McDonald's President and Chief Executive Officer Don Thompson. "As we begin the second quarter against the backdrop of a persistently challenging macro environment, the McDonald's System is aligned around executing our long-term strategies to drive sustained, profitable growth."

In Europe, its biggest market by sales, comparable sales fell 2.4 percent despite positive performance in the UK and Russia.